22
In this chapter
- Simple Portrait Lighting
- Converting from Color to Black and White
- Several Ways to Fix Red Eye
The Portrait
You don’t need a complicated lighting arrangement for portraits or
many other subjects. Often, the simpler the lighting, the better. Many
photographers prefer to keep portrait setups as simple as possible so
the subject is relaxed. Lights, tripods, and other paraphernalia can make
some subjects overly conscious of the fact that they are being pho-
tographed, resulting in a stiff, awkward expression.
When shooting outdoors, open shade or an overcast sky provides a soft,
even light. The person is not lit by direct sunlight, but by light reflected
from the ground, from clouds, or from nearby surfaces such as a wall.
Open shade or overcast light is relatively bluish, so if you are shooting
color film, a 1A (skylight) or 81A (light yellow) filter on the camera lens
will warm the color of the light by removing excess blue.